Build and execute Pro*COBOL applications in a command prompt session with the default settings for the screen buffer size and the windows size. These settings ensure successful execution of the Pro*COBOL applications.

Precompiling Pro*COBOL Applications

This section describes the basics of precompiling a Pro*COBOL application.

In each of these the COBSQL utility may be used with the following advantages:

Pro*COBOL is run by the MERANT Micro Focus compiler and does not need to be run as a separate step.

Animation is done using the .pco source file rather than the .cbl file produced by Pro*COBOL.

The MAKEYSYN directive is provided automatically and need not be specified manually.

How to Use the IDE

A program generated by Pro*COBOL can be compiled and executed from within the MERANT Micro Focus NetExpress IDE. Simply add the .cbl file generated by Pro*COBOL to a Net Express project. To avoid potential inconsistencies when calling routines in the Oracle libraries the program should be compiled using the directive:

MAKESYN "COMP-5" = "COMP"

This directive can be specified in the build setting for the source file, the project settings or through a $SET line at the start of the source file. When you select Rebuild or Rebuild All the IDE generates an executable ready to Run or Animate.

How to Use the Animator

Programs can be compiled and executed from within the MERANT Micro Focus COBOL debugger, Animator V2.

To avoid potential inconsistencies when calling routines in the Oracle libraries, select the menu option Compiler Directives, and enter:

The previous commands produce sample1.exe, which can be executed like any other Windows NT, Windows 2000, or Windows 98 program.

Note:

MERANT Micro Focus COBOL must be installed on the same system as Pro*COBOL to successfully execute the file.

The COBSQL Command

COBSQL can be used to simplify preprocessing and debugging. To use COBSQL, specify the following directive to the COBOL compiler:

PREPROCESS(COBSQL) COBSQLTYPE=ORACLE8 ENDP

or the short form:

P(COBSQL) CSQLT=ORA8 ENDP

COBSQLTYPE should be set to ORACLE or ORA for versions of Pro*COBOL prior to release 8.0. The directive may be set with a $SET line at the start of the source file, on the COBOL command line, in program build settings or project settings for NetExpress, or with SQL compiler directives settings for Animator. At compile time, COBSQL runs Pro*COBOL as a background task and passes its output to the COBOL compiler together with additional information required to enable Animator to track execution using the .pco file rather than .cbl file.

When using COBSQL there is no need to deal directly with the .cbl file. Instead, add the .pco file to a NetExpress project, or open it with Animator.

Sample Programs

Oracle provides sample programs to demonstrate the use of Pro*COBOL with Oracle database features. See "Sample Files" for a listing of these programs.

This section describes how to use the basic precompiling, compiling, and linking commands to build the sample programs. This section also describes the preparations required for running the Pro*COBOL sample programs.

Building the Demonstration Tables

To run the Pro*COBOL sample programs, you must have a database account with the username scott and the password tiger. If this account does not exist on your database, create one before running the sample programs.

The scott account must contain the emp and dept tables. If the account does not contain these tables, use the demobld.sql script to create them.

To run the demobld.sql script:

Start SQL*Plus.

Connect to the database as username scott with password tiger.

Run the demobld.sql script. For example:

SQL> @ORACLE_BASE\ORACLE_HOME\sqlplus\demo\demobld.sql

Building the Sample Programs

Pro*COBOL supplies the makeit.bat file which is listed in the next section, for building a MERANT Micro Focus COBOL sample file:

For release 9.2.0, the batch files are located in ORACLE_BASE\ORACLE_HOME\precomp\demo\procob2. For release 1.8.77, the files are located in ORACLE_BASE\ORACLE_HOME\precomp\demo\procob.

To build the sample programs:

Run the batch files with any sample file. Do not include the file extension. For example:

C:\ORACLE\ORA90\PRECOMP\DEMO\PROCOB2> makeit sample1

Ensure that all paths and file names reflect the configuration of your system, if you encounter errors when building a sample program.

The commands to run the sample programs assume that the following are the current working directories:

Sample Files

The Pro*COBOL sample files listed in Table 2-1, " Pro*COBOL Sample Programs" are located in the ORACLE_BASE\ORACLE_HOME\precomp\demo\procob2 (release 9.2.0) and/or ORACLE_BASE\ORACLE_HOME\precomp\demo\procob (release 1.8.77) directories. The SQL scripts are located in the ORACLE_BASE\ORACLE_HOME\precomp\demo\sql directory.